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The Long Dark's new trailer is ice cold

Back in February, we showed you some gorgeous screenshots and officially labeled The Long Dark “a game we give a shit about.” Now, that may not sound like a lot. But when we say we “give a shit” about a game, what we mean is “we think this game has the potential to be something great and meaningful.” And today, The Long Dark doesn't disappoint those shits we gave it (yeah, I know, it’s getting weird for me too. I’ll stop).

The trailer Hinterland’s launched today, entitled “Echoes,” permeates with a sense of loss for a world that’s been replaced by never-ending hardship. As an atmospheric, post-disaster survival simulator, The Long Dark seeks to ask players how far they’re willing to go in order to endure—for how long, and to what end? The trailer, narrated by none other than Mass Effect’s own Mark Meer, implies that one survives in order to honor the countless who couldn’t. Set in unforgiving northern wilderness, the environment itself seems imbued with the trailer’s titular echoes: they’re the wind, the half-buried footprints in the snow, the ghostly glow of aurora borealis. The simultaneously restrained and oppressive music by composer Cris Velasco suits the sparse setting perfectly. Basically, we’re daring you not to have chills by the end of this.

Hinterland’s bringing a Sandbox Alpha of The Long Dark to Steam Early Access in September, while keeping the Story Mode under wraps until the game’s official launch later this year. You can visit the game’s redesigned website for more details and to pre-order it now.